They had thought that even if they couldn’t take Berkeley down, making them lose over eight million would at least be something they could report to the shareholders.
But now, it seemed that was no longer the case.
...
Century Triumph.
Lin Jiang and Qin Yangyang had just finished a round.
Rolling over, Lin Jiang got ready to sleep.
"All done, and you’re already on your phone? I’d say you’ve still got some energy left."
"You’ve already worn me out. Give me a break."
Qin Yangyang held her phone, scrolling nonstop.
"With such a huge crisis going on, how can you, the boss, not be the least bit worried?"
"It’s just some negative press. I’ve already assigned people to take care of it."
"I’m looking at your incident report. It was just a sanitation issue, but you spent over eight million to resolve it. That’s almost unheard of in the history of business."
Rolling over, Qin Yangyang draped half her body over Lin Jiang.
"Are you sure this will solve the problem?"
"Not sure."
Qin Yangyang’s expression turned serious. "You spent so much money. If this doesn’t fix the problem, you’re going to lose big time."
Lin Jiang casually pulled Qin Yangyang into his arms, his hand coming to rest on her perky bottom.
"That’s not how you should look at this. The problem started with us, so we have to solve it. This is the most sincere solution I could offer. I have no idea how the market will ultimately respond. If they accept it, great. If not, then so be it."
Lin Jiang said,
"You can’t do things only when you’re sure of the outcome. You have to do the right thing first, then wait for the result, and finally, accept it, whatever it may be."
What Lin Jiang said was a little convoluted, but Qin Yangyang understood. Her big, dark, sparkling eyes sized him up.
"I’ve just realized something. You have the air of a true entrepreneur now."
"An entrepreneur?"
"That’s right. I used to think of you as a merchant, but now I think ’entrepreneur’ is more fitting."
"I like the sound of that. You deserve a reward."
She looked at Lin Jiang, her interest piqued. "And what might that be?"
"I’ll bestow my descendants upon you."
"Ah—"
The next morning, when Lin Jiang woke up, Qin Yangyang was still asleep.
It was rare for him to wake up before her.
After their round two last night, which went on until after two in the morning, it was understandable why she couldn’t get up.
He quietly got out of bed, ordered some breakfast for delivery while he was washing up, and then settled onto the sofa.
There was a message on his phone from He Jing.
Three pictures and a voice message.
The content of the three pictures was similar: scenes from before Berkeley opened its doors.
There were many people standing at the main entrance, all there to shop.
He played the voice message and listened to the gist of it.
The message conveyed that despite the negative press, judging by the scene, Berkeley seemed completely unaffected.
He opened TikTok, and the first video on his feed was about Berkeley, posted by a content creator.
It heaped praise on Berkeley’s handling of the situation.
The user comments were interesting, too—an overwhelming wave of astonishment and praise.
Some people even posted their receipts to prove they had bought the noodle sheets at Berkeley, adding comments that they planned to spend the 1,000 yuan compensation right back at the store.
Many of the following comments were in the same vein, with users trying to one-up each other with witty remarks. It made Lin Jiang chuckle.
He swiped through several more videos. A few were about Berkeley, and the content was much the same, expressing strong approval.
Just then...
Qin Yangyang emerged from the bedroom, hair a total mess, and plopped down onto Lin Jiang’s lap like a lazy kitten, clearly not fully awake.
Most people have morning grumpiness; she just got cuddly. For him, the experience was absolutely perfect.
He patted Qin Yangyang’s butt.
"Go wash up. I ordered breakfast; it’ll be here soon."
Qin Yangyang rested her head on Lin Jiang’s shoulder. "I don’t wanna move. Carry me."
"You got it."
Supporting her bottom with his hands, Lin Jiang stood up from the sofa and carried her to the bathroom.
Just then, the food delivery arrived. Lin Jiang went to get it and set everything out on the dining table.
Before long, Qin Yangyang came out, having finished washing up.
"My mom messaged me. She saw the news about Berkeley and was praising you for quite a while," Qin Yangyang said.
"My mom also said that among all her properties, the Berkeley store has the highest revenue, blowing all the other shopping centers out of the water."
In the beginning, one-third of the tenants in Berkeley left, and Jiang Rongmin had extended a timely helping hand.
At market rates, she opened two specialty stores inside, one for menswear and one for womenswear.
At the same time, she also helped him by bringing in two other brand stores.
It might not have solved the entire problem at the time, but Lin Jiang was deeply grateful that she had lent a hand in his moment of need.
Now that Berkeley was thriving, he felt he hadn’t let them down.
"Looking at it this way, I guess I’ve passed the mother-in-law test."
"You’ve definitely passed my mom’s test, but in her eyes, you and Youyou are the couple. It has nothing to do with me," Qin Yangyang said, a sour note in her voice.
"That’s not necessarily true. We just need to find an opportunity to clear things up with your mother."
"No, don’t. At least, not for now."
"Why?"
"My mom might be able to accept it, but Youyou... I’m not so sure. She’d cry her eyes out."
An image of Qin Youyou surfaced in Lin Jiang’s mind.
Despite her carefree personality, her emotional core wasn’t nearly as tough as Qin Yangyang’s. It would be very difficult for her to accept the truth if she found out.
"You’re absolutely right. Which is why I have a solution that will make everyone happy."
Qin Yangyang narrowed her eyes, watching Lin Jiang like a sly little fox.
"And your solution is to take both of us sisters for yourself, isn’t it?"

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